Chelsea's Patrick Bamford Shouldn't Let Play-off Disappointment Sour a Fine Year

WEMBLEY STADIUM, LONDON — The proverb is that Wembley isn't a nice place for losers.

It's a venue of legends, we're told.

Chelsea's on-loan striker Patrick Bamford experienced that feeling for a second time in 12 months when Middlesbrough lost 2-0 to Norwich City in the Championship Play-Off Final on Monday.

Just a year earlier, Bamford was part of the Derby County side that lost out to QPR at the same stage, so of all the Middlesbrough players, he probably felt this defeat most.

That's two Wembley appearances and the same number of disappointments.

When the dust settles, that feeling should subside.

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Bamford was largely disappointing here, his poor display impacted by a number of factors.

Top of that list was a woeful display from his team-mates. With no service, he found it difficult to find his way, living off scraps that helped Sebastien Bassong look better than the Championship defender he is.

Then there were the question marks over his fitness, that troublesome ankle meaning he missed the play-off semi-final win over Brentford just over a week earlier.

If we're judging the 21-year-old on one game, he's way off the pace, and the possibility of a place in Jose Mourinho's Chelsea squad more out of reach than Middlesbrough's Premier League dream, regardless of Didier Drogba's departure.

It's not about this final, however. When we talk of Bamford, we must see the bigger picture.

At the final whistle, a downbeat Aitor Karanka spoke of Middlesbrough being a club that has rediscovered its "happiness," that the scene is far different from the one when he took over the reins 18 months ago.

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A big part of that has been Bamford's presence.

"I thought he was the best player for the team [today]," said the Boro boss.

That comment was somewhat inflated, but when we look at the season Bamford has enjoyed, there's no doubt he has been among the best players at Middlesbrough.

His Championship Player of the Year award tells us he's been the finest.

Indeed, without him, there's an argument to suggest the very happiness Karanka describes would have been missing at the Riverside.

Bamford's 19 goals went a long way to getting Middlesbrough to the play-offs.

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He was missing on the big Wembley occasion, but throughout the Championship season, he was Boro's catalyst.

Bamford scored the big goals when they were needed. In March, he downed Derby County, and a few weeks later, it was his first-half strike that gave Boro maximum points against Wigan Athletic, too.

It was a key stage of the season, and Bamford was delivering.

In total, his goals were the decisive factor in winning Karanka's side 12 points. Take them away, and Boro would have been finishing eighth, out of the play-off places and below Derby on 73 points.

When Chelsea send their players out on loan, they want to see them play above their level. It's not enough to fade into the surroundings of more experienced players.

Regardless of youth, Mourinho wants to see their names in lights. The Chelsea boss wants to see his loan stars making the headlines—in Bamford's case, scoring the goals.

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Bamford did that a couple of seasons ago in League 1 with MK Dons and to a lesser degree with Derby in the second half of 2013/14.

As he's developed, the need has always been to continue scoring regardless of the pressure and expectation that has gradually built.

The 21-year-old deserves credit for making his Chelsea future a point of debate this year. That was his mission when he was shipped out to Teeside, his target to ensure he remained relevant outside of the Premier League.

Chelsea were running away with the title; the talk was about Diego Costa's goals (and his hamstrings and suspensions), yet Bamford remained a part of the conversation.

He did that by performing consistently. His season was about much more than one game; it was about much more than Middlesbrough's promotion push.

Wembley may have beaten him again, but there's still enough about this kid to help persuade Mourinho who should be Drogba's replacement.

Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes.